Nearfields for audiophile listening?

Discussion in 'Speakers' started by sashafuckinggrey, Feb 27, 2016.

  1. murphythecat

    murphythecat GRU-powered uniformed trumpkin

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    My take after owning 6 speakers using a 5 inch midbass.

    ATC SCM7v3: Good timbre, good upperbass and low mids very controlled, neutral and detailed mids, veiled sounding if not enough juice behind them or at low volume. Best all rounder.

    KEF LS50: Poor timbre, great imaging. I just dont like the metal driver presentation.

    P3ESR: Magic in the mids, uncontrolled bass as soon as you reach a certain volume. excellent for low volume, but cannot be pushed. I think with a pass lab analog crossover paired with stereo woofer crossed at 120hz, it could be a KILLER solution.

    Chartwell ls35a: magic, but very limited LF and I wasnt a fan of the treble.

    Focal CMS50: Good allrounders, lacks magic and soundstage depht.not as detail/refined as Kef, atc, harbeth.

    Salk Continuum: Jeff bagby design. Very good for the price, not as refined at Kef, ATC or Harbeth.

    We decided to keep the ATC SCM7v3. Its the most balanced sounding speaker, the timbre is very good. Almost dynamic sounding, despite using a 5 inch midbass. Paired with a LM3875 30 WPC it got plenty of power for my small living room. I just prefer the sound of paper cone and soft dome tweeter i think.

    BTW, SCM7v3 can be had for about 750$ USD used.
     
    Last edited: Aug 1, 2019
  2. Psalmanazar

    Psalmanazar Most improved member; A+

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    Double post
     
  3. Aelms

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    I’m fairly interested in eventually building the Continuum myself. What would you say are its particular strengths and weaknesses when value for money is not considered?
     
  4. Psalmanazar

    Psalmanazar Most improved member; A+

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    I agree with you that these are tools but I don’t like Sonic sculpting or sterile stuff and like working fast and dirty with fast and dirty music. Atc scm 20 and NS10m are good tools but pretty much unneeded in many contexts or just a waste of deskspace. A fuller range and flatter pair of nearfields just sounds more normal and is better for mixing the multitracks, broad eqs, necessary compression, color effects plugins and compression, etc to me. I’ve found HS8 are some of the fastest working speakers for me and the KRKs even faster. I used small nasty crap as guitar eq speakers, grot boxes, and di monitors but I don’t like it that much.

    Agree 100% on the too euphonic and opaque stuff. Some Focals and Adams are euphonic like that to me. Focal is much more opaque than Adam. Adam are more like Dyn Lyd and Neumann type of euphonic where you can’t get them to do what you want easily and they don’t sound bad or good. Genelec is the worst of both worlds.

    Now if you are doing pop stuff where the raw tracks sound nothing at all like how the client wants them to sound to do recording or musical incompetence or not existing at all, then you got a problem and something that lets you sculpt is probably better but I don’t have to deal with and wouldn’t deal with that shit.
     
    Last edited: Aug 1, 2019
  5. msommers

    msommers High on Epipens

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  6. yunie_

    yunie_ Acquaintance

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    Hey murphythecat, is the scm7v3 good at low volume?
     
  7. murphythecat

    murphythecat GRU-powered uniformed trumpkin

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    its strength is non fatiguing, good tone. extremely good at low volume. It sounds OK, but lacks some ATC or Harbeth magic. Its really decent, but considering a pair of continuum will set you back about 500$ USD if you diy the cabs, and you can get a pair of ATC SCM7v3 for 750 $ USD used, I'd recommend the ATC. I had the continuum at the same position then the ATC, and when we switched to the ATC after living with the Continuum for over a year, it was an obvious upgrade especially in bass control, and detail retrieval.

    its not too bad, but need some volume to come alive. Ive been told that the scm7 is better at low volume then the bigger scm11 or scm19. The P3esr sound more full at low spl for example. scm7 are not suited for extreme nearfield as it sound flattish and veiled at very low volume
     
    Last edited: Aug 1, 2019
  8. yunie_

    yunie_ Acquaintance

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    right. i have a atc scm11 lying around but have no amp. makes me curious enough to buy an amp and try it again. i simply love the atc sound and bass response.

    I've heard the harbeth HL5+ or something. such huge speakers but even at whisper level, they sing very very well.
     
  9. murphythecat

    murphythecat GRU-powered uniformed trumpkin

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  10. yunie_

    yunie_ Acquaintance

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    thanks for the suggestion. I don't think it will be easy to get it from where I am. will search at the local audiophile mall.
     
  11. yunie_

    yunie_ Acquaintance

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    I've just used neumann kh120a extensively for about a month.

    + bass is absolutely great. very controlled, digs deep for its tiny size, plentiful
    + analytic sound, but not fatiguing at all. i was so afraid of it being fatiguing but none at all
    + stereo image is great, as with 5 inch monitors placed 1.2m apart
    + handsome looking. really. most other speakers look too traditional and old, this is just gorgeous with its curve and white neumann logo

    - vocals is where it doesn't really excel. doesn't sound as organic
    - doesn't sound huge as compared to other 5inchers which shouldn't be the case considering the speakers are so tiny.
     
  12. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    I was going to express surprise that you have a local audiophile mall... then I saw your location. Haven't been to your city in a while: remind me the name?

    Anyway, all that aside, from my admittedly-oldish memories, I think there might be better places in Singapore to see and hear studio speakers and equipment?
     
  13. yunie_

    yunie_ Acquaintance

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    yeah right here in land scarce Singapore we build malls like we build roads. one mall is within 10 mins drive anywhere in Singapore.

    there's this mall called Adelphi where most of the audio equipment distributors congregate. at least about 30 audio stores there. studio equipment however, not much.
     
  14. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    Ah, yes, thanks. Connected to Funan by a walkway.

    And with the curious (for a luxury hifi mall) feature of young women and "massage parlours" in the basement, whose actual profession was all too obvious. I seem to remember hearing that that had got cleaned up. Damned good thing. Who wants to be distracted by the sight of a gorgeous girl, on her way to work, when one is trying to decide if the cable that comes in walnut box sounds better than the one in the oak box!
     
  15. Forza AudioWorks

    Forza AudioWorks MOT: Forza AudioWorks

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    Just a question to see if anyone is familiar: have you folks heard of Buchardt S400? One of my journo buddies got one for a review and damn, this thing sounds impressive for the money.
     
  16. iFi audio

    iFi audio MOT iFi Audio

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    Sounds pretty much like the holy land of audio.
     
  17. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    A bit like London art galleries, I think that some of the shops do a wealth test on you before they let you in. Anyway, it's all gone by the time they let you out again!

    Yes, lots of very expensive stuff --- but some is more accessible. And there is (still I hope?) a pretty good head/ear-phone shop there.

    I always visited when in Singapore... but I spent more time across the road in Funan Digital Mall.

    Used to have family living there, but haven't visited since they left. Also had a vinyl-head friend, from another forum, that I used to visit.
     
  18. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    I have a pair coming this month. Won’t be used nearfiled, more midfield, but will report back with impressions once I’ve had some time with them.
     
  19. yunie_

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    Well, they have changed their strategy now to something decidedly better. Instead of sleazy massage parlours, now its replaced by rows of facial spas and salons. the target market is almost always some family guy, and what's better than bringing your wife there, leaving them there at the facial spa for 2 hours while the husband takes his time to shop.
     
  20. yunie_

    yunie_ Acquaintance

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    As much as I would want to think Singapore's Adelphi is the holy land of audio, I was so darn wrong when I visit tokyo.

    There's this gigantic electronics mall called yodobashi, with an entire floor the size of 3/4 a football field, full of audio products.

    and you know what's best?

    they have 3-5 sections with numerous speakers and amps, all connected to a switchboard.
    all the combinations of amp + speakers you can try.


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    A real disneyland for audiophiles. See those numbers on every amp and speakers? yeah.. you can try ANY combination.

    Go on a weekday morning. you have 4 hours of uninterrupted time testing.

    You know what's even better? 2nd floor of that same building is full of cosmetics. Your significant other can spend at least an hour there.

    and I'm going there this November again!
     
    Last edited: Sep 4, 2019

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